Telangana Congress chief held ahead of protest at CM’s farmhouse

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Telangana Congress chief held ahead of protest at CM’s farmhouse

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief A. Revanth Reddy was arrested here on Monday as he was leaving for Erravalli village to lead a protest at the farmhouse of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

High tension prevailed outside the residence of Revanth Reddy at Jubilee Hills as scores of his supporters tried to resist their leader’s arrest.

As soon as the TPCC chief emerged from his house, police officers stopped him. They forcibly took him to a police vehicle, leading to strong protest from Congress workers who had gathered there. They tried to stop a police vehicle carrying their leader. This led to pushing and jostling between the two sides.

Amid the melee, police shifted Revanth Reddy to a police station.

Revanth Reddy, who is also a Member of Parliament, was placed under house arrest early Monday. Large number of policemen were deployed around Revanth Reddy’s house in view of the call given by him to organise Rachabanda programme over what he calls the failure of the state and central governments in procuring paddy from farmers.

Several Congress leaders were either placed under house arrest or were detained while they were heading to Erravalli in Siddipet district from various parts of the state.

Earlier, Revanth Reddy vowed to go ahead with the protest despite restrictions imposed by the police. “Is Erravalli a prohibited area? Why are we being prevented from going to that village?” the Congress leader asked. He claimed that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was afraid of their visit.

The TPCC chief slammed both the TRS and BJP over the issue of paddy procurement. He said both the parties have a secret understanding to mislead the farmers.

He claimed that the visit by a delegation of state ministers to Delhi and BJP state president Bandi Sanjay’s hunger strike over unemployment were part of the secret understanding between the two parties.

Revanth Reddy had on Sunday released photographs of paddy cultivated at the chief minister’s farmhouse. “On one hand the chief minister is saying that the government will not procure paddy from farmers while on the other he has taken up paddy cultivation over 150 acres at his farmhouse,” the Congress leader said.

Senior Congress leader Mallu Ravi clarified that they were not going to Erravalli to lay siege to the chief minister’s farmhouse but they were still stopped. He said the protest at the village was part of the state-wide programme being organised by the party.

He condemned the arrests of Congress leaders and alleged that the police were acting as KCR’s private army.

No need of night curfew in Bihar: Nitish Kumar

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No need of night curfew in Bihar: Nitish Kumar

Amid rising Covid-19 cases, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced that no night curfew is needed in Bihar as the situation in the state is much better than the rest of the country.

Addressing the media, he said: “The situation in Bihar is better than many states right now. There is no need to impose night curfew here.”

The Chief Minister had arrived to garland the statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary, when he put an end to the possibilities of a night curfew.

So far, Bihar has not reported any case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

However, Health Minister Mangal Pandey said that all guidelines of the Centre are being fully followed in the state and the Nitish Kumar government is continuously urging people to follow Covid guidelines.

Sources in the Health Department have confirmed that even though night curfew will not be imposed at the moment, the Bihar government is planning to prepare Covid guidelines for everyone.

Odisha amends panchayat laws to punish candidates for submitting false affidavit

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Odisha amends panchayat laws to punish candidates for submitting false affidavit

Ahead of the panchayat polls, the Odisha government amended three laws to punish candidates who provide false information in the affidavit filed for the rural elections.

The ruling BJD government amended the Odisha Grama Panchayat Act, 1964, the Odisha Panchayat Samiti Act, 1959 and the Odisha Zilla Parishad Act, 1991 through an ordinance.

As per the ordinance, a candidate who himself or through his proposer, with intent to be elected in an election gives false information which he knows or has reason to believed to be false or conceals any information in his nomination paper or in his affidavit will be punishabed with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to six months, or be fined, or with both.

Similarly, any elected member of the three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) will be disqualified, if he/she has not furnished an affidavit containing particulars relating to his criminal antecedents, assets and liabilities and educational qualification at the time of filing nomination.

The state, which is impacted by facing natural disasters like cyclones, frequently, has given power to the Grama Panchayats and Panchayat Samities (blocks) for disaster management.

Now the gram panchayats and panchayat samities can prepare their own disaster management plans at village, panchayat and panchayat samiti level, carry out and facilitate relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in disaster affected areas in accordance with state plan and district plan.

The two institutions can also undertake other measures necessary for disaster management. However, this provision has not been included in the Zilla Parishad Act.

Meanwhile, the state government issued a fresh draft seat reservation list for the post of Zilla Parishad (ZP) chairperson across 30 districts.

As per the draft notification, out of the 30 ZP chairperson seats, seven seats are reserved for ST candidates while five seats are reserved for SC candidates.

However, no seat has been kept reserved for Other Backward Classes as the Supreme Court recently directed not to reserve seats for them till proper enumerations of the community is done, sources said.

BJP govt in Manipur started innovation, integration ending instability: Nadda

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BJP govt in Manipur started innovation, integration ending instability: Nadda

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President, J.P. Nadda on Friday claimed that the present government in Manipur initiated “innovation, infrastructure and integration” by removing the previous Congress government’s “instability, insurgency and inequality”.

Referring to the decade-old Manipur’s “Ima Market”, Nadda said the northeastern state is a great example of women empowerment in the country.

The world’s largest all-women run ‘Ima Market’ or ‘Ima Keithal’ (‘Mother’s Market’), located in the Manipur state capital comprises 3,600 women traders.

Nadda referring to the Manipur BJP President, Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi said women development in the state is taking place under the leadership of women.

Women in Manipur have been the frontrunners in sports, freedom movement and literature, he said, adding that the state’s Olympic medallist and six-time world champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom, Olympian Mirabai Chanu and other women sports personalities have brought glory to the country.

Nadda hailed the current Biren Singh government for improving the sex ratio and implementing the Central government’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme in the state.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed India’s first women Defence, Education, External Affairs and Finance ministers.”

At present, there are 12 women ministers in the Union cabinet of the Modi government. “The BJP government always gave top priority to women’s empowerment in India,” he said while addressing a public gathering in Imphal.

The Centre had announced 33 per cent reservation for women in the CRPF and other paramilitary forces, Nadda said.

To lead the BJP’s campaign ahead of the ensuing Assembly elections, the BJP National President has visited Manipur four times during the past three months.

Elections to the 60-seat Manipur Assembly are likely to be held in February-March 2022 along with the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.

Highlighting the development projects undertaken by the Centre and the state government for the all-round development of Manipur, the BJP leader said that nearly 330 projects are being taken up while railway infrastructure is being extended up to the capital city Imphal.

Nadda said that India’s first sports university being set up in Manipur would be the corridor of eastern India. He added that to take forward the northeastern region on priority, Modi visited the region 50 times in the past seven years.

“Manipur government headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has established peace. Earlier, during the Congress government, blockades continued for months and year after year, now there is no blockade and fear among the people,” Nadda added.

“Nearly 1,039 militants surrendered and as part of the crusade against drugs, 11,600 acre of land was made free from the cultivation of various drugs,” he said.

Nepal PM Deuba to visit India early next month

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Nepal PM Deuba to visit India early next month

Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is leaving for India on January 10 to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, according to local media reports.

Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is a biennial event launched in 2003, and the 2022 event on January 10-12 is the 10th edition.

A detailed itinerary was not immediately available but sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Deuba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is very much likely.

Besides Modi, Deuba will be meeting some other senior Indian politicians and leaders when he will be in New Delhi and Gujarat.

His first foreign trip after he was appointed Prime Minister – for the fifth time – in July, was to the UK’s Glasgow to participate in the climate change conference in November.

Deuba’s visit to Gujarat comes at a time when talks about his state visit to India were being talked about.

The visit to the southern neighbour also comes on the heels of Deuba’s comeback as a strong President of his party, the Nepali Congress, at its recently-concluded general convention.

Deuba was appointed Prime Minister on July 13 following a Supreme Court order a day before in which the bench also overturned then Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House.

For making TN plastic-free state, Stalin govt to go for buyback policy

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For making TN plastic-free state, Stalin govt to go for buyback policy

The Tamil Nadu government is developing a strategy to buyback plastic products and to be set up Reverse Vending machines in association with FMCG companies.

Chief Minister on Thursday inaugurated a campaign to make Tamil Nadu plastic-free and to promote cloth bags in large volumes. The government is also in talks with a major corporate company for construction of 1,000 toilets in the state made of non-recyclable plastic waste.

To reduce the stress caused by the overuse of plastic in the environment, the government is planning a strategy to improve Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) for the manufacturers.

The Chief Minister’s office has already directed all the district administrations to have a discussion with the companies in their respective districts to evolve strategies regarding buy-back plans of plastics and for use of this material in the construction industry.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu environment department told IANS that the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB) is in talks with the Tiruvallur district administration for use of construction materials from plastic waste.

The company under its CSR initiative has already adopted eight villages in and around Nemam where the factory of HCCB is located and has already got approval for building a model toilet at Nemam in the district of Tiruvallur.

The HCCB has entered into an association with Ricron Panels, a company that has specialised in the business of converting plastic waste into eco-friendly construction material.

The state environment department in a study found that on an average a person in the state is using and discarding a plastic bottle a day. This would lead to installing 5,000 to 6,000 Reverse vending machines in the state for safe deposit of plastic material.

Kerala displays India at its cultural and harmonious best: Ram Nath Kovind

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Kerala displays India at its cultural and harmonious best: Ram Nath Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said he loves visiting Kerala as it displays India at its cultural and harmonious best.

Kovind, who is on a four-day visit to the state, said: “Kerala displays India at its cultural and harmonious best. It has attracted people from all parts of the world, absorbed different cultures and religions while maintaining its distinct features.

“The people of Kerala have earned respect and goodwill in the rest of India and in different parts of the world. The enterprising members of the Indian diaspora from Kerala have not only been sending large amounts of remittances home but also kept the prestige of India very high in the lands they have adopted as their work-places.”

He said this after unveiling the statue of Late P.N. Panicker– the pioneer of learning, literacy and library movements– in the capital city.

“I love visiting Kerala also because this state fills me with energy which it derives from its bountiful blessings of Mother Nature. I recall that our former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose birth anniversary falls on December 25, had chosen this land to welcome the new millennium. During the five days he spent in Kumarakom on the banks of the Vembanad lake, both the poet and the thinker in him were inspired. He penned a series of musings, in which he wrote, “nature’s silent beauty provides a perfect setting here for contemplation,” In God’s own country, it is indeed a special privilege to be in the abode of Lord Vishnu – Thiruvananthapuram,” said Kovind.

He went on to add that the service sector professionals from Kerala, especially the nurses and doctors are highly respected and relied upon by people everywhere.

“Recently, when the Covid-pandemic affected the entire world, nurses and doctors from Kerala were among the most visible Covid-warriors in India, the middle-east and so many other regions on the globe. The people of Kerala enhance the pride of India,” added Kovind.

Amit Shah to address series of meetings in UP

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Amit Shah to address series of meetings in UP

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is embarking on a statewide tour of Uttar Pradesh from Friday to give momentum to the party’s election campaign.

Shah is expected to address public meetings at nearly 21 different locations and each public meeting will be attended by party workers and supporters from the surrounding seven Assembly constituencies.

In this way, he will be covering around 140 Assembly seats in his tour.

The BJP plans to put Shah on the forefront of organisational strategy even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes on a spree to lay foundation stones or launch developmental projects in the state.

Sources said the party plans to bring supporters from Dalit and OBC dominated constituencies at the Shah’s public meetings.

The move attains political significance in the backdrop of BJP mobilising the non-Yadav OBC to counter an aggressive Samajwadi Party president, Akhilesh Yadav who has been emerging as the main challenger to the ruling BJP.

During his campaign, Shah is also scheduled to hold special meetings with the party functionaries in different districts to assess the ground level political situation.

This comes close on the heels of the recent booth level functions which the party had organised to set its organisational machinery into motion and reinforce its cadre strength.

BJP seeks probe into Akhilesh Yadav’s assets

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BJP seeks probe into Akhilesh Yadav’s assets

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh has demanded that the income of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav income be investigated.

State MSME Minister and government spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh questioned Yadav’s support to certain members of his party who were raided by the income tax department recently.

He accused Akhilesh Yadav of lying about the income tax raids and defending his party members on the pretext of elections and trying to gain sympathy in the name of raids.

The minister said that the SP president should accept that those close to him were tax evaders and that he, too, is their partner.

“Undeclared assets of Rs 400 crore were found in the income tax raids. The income of Akhilesh Yadav and his family should also be investigated. The SP had prepared to fund the elections with this illegal money, but their plans could not be realised. Akhilesh should clarify what relation he has with those who were raided,” Singh said.

Singh said that loot, theft and corruption were in the DNA of the SP, and this was confirmed by the income tax raids and a recent CAG report on Noida.

“Akhilesh had turned Noida into a den of loot. The CAG report has exposed corruption to the tune of over Rs 58,000 crore in allotment of land in Noida during the SP rule. The CAG report exposes how corrupt officials played with the interests of the public at Akhilesh’s behest,” the minister said.

Need legislative temper too: Venkaiah Naidu

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Need legislative temper too: Venkaiah Naidu

Parliamentary disruptions surfaced at a science-related event when Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that along with scientific temper there is a need for a legislative temper too.

“Our constitution mentions this as one of our fundamental duties. Article 51A is to develop scientific temper and a spirit of inquiry. We should not only develop scientific temper, I think we should also inculcate a legislative temper,” Naidu said at the inauguration of ‘Celebration of Birth Centenaries of Inspirational Scientists’ & ‘Pay Homage to Founders of Indian Sciences’.

Pointing out what he witnessed as he chaired the House, Naidu said, “Discuss, debate and decide … not disrupt. This should be made our principal identity.”

“On one side we are making progress, on the other side, some of our elected representatives are making a mockery of the institution of democracy,” Naidu said.

Naidu’s remarks at the event organised by Vigyan Prasar were clearly in reference to the disruptions by the opposition MPs in both Houses of Parliament during the winter session that concluded on Wednesday morning.

Since November 29, when Naidu as Rajya Sabha chairperson had suspended 12 MPs, the opposition parties had daily demanded revoking of the suspensions, staged protests and walked out of the House several times. Much of the time when the opposition members remained in the House, there was a constant din.

Towards the end of the inaugural event, when the anchor invited Nakur Parashar for the ‘vote of thanks’, Naidu quickly pointed out: “No, no, it should be ‘Words of Thanks’. Vote means division,” leading to peals of laughter.

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